An Old Acquaintance
by Two Very Amused Authors
Summary: Two girls lost in a time that isn't their own. A bloodthirsty killer on their tails. Will they be able to save the poor soul it has possessed? Will they be able to protect themselves? Who is the humble swordsman that has been taken over?
1. Slight Recognition

Chapter 1: Slight Recognition  
  
A/N: Hey Everybody, this is our first fanfic, and we really want to know what you guys think about it. If we get a lot of reviews, we JUST MIGHT post new chapters more quickly! ^_~ Anyhow, this takes place in several different times, hopefully you don't get TOO confused. Have fun reading!  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Darn. And we were so close too!  
  
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Tiffany lies in bed staring at the ceiling. It's pretty dark, but her eyes have adjusted by now and she can make out the little patterns, blinking she tries to see what she can make of them. Finally, after seeing a skull and bones, she shudders and rolls over to look at the clock. 12:30.  
  
"Why was mom in such a pissy mood? I didn't do anything," she thinks. And she had something important to tell Danielle and Chris, but by now, she's pretty much forgotten. "Geez, I'm not used to going to bed this early..." She does her best to doze off. No Internet, no TV. "What's she thinkin???"  
  
Tiff tosses and turns, trying to find a comfortable position. Gir is whimpering on the porch. Groaning, Tiff pulls herself out of bed and walk to the window, opening it a bit. "GIIIIIIIIIIIIR! SHUSH!" she whispers loudly.  
  
Hm.....it worked. Odd. After closing her window, she shuffles back to bed. Then she thinks, "Ya know, I have to pee." Quietly she sneaks out of her room and creeps towards the bathroom. No use in making mom any madder, she skillfully avoids the creaky places. After she's done, she once again creeps down the hall.  
  
"I feel so.....illegal....." She thinks stifling a giggle. "What the.....that wasn't funny....." Tiff pushes open her door and stops, staring at the open window. "I could have sworn I closed that...maybe I'm just so tired, yet not tired, I just thought I did." She sighs as she closes it and goes to crawl in bed. "What the...did something just moved in my closet....a mouse? No, too big." She stares at the dark void for a while.  
  
"Duh, it was just my shadow....what else was it? The boogieman?" she mutters under her breath. Giggling nervously she crawls back in bed, careful not to get to close to the closet. As she tries to fall asleep she keeps her eyes cracked and on the closet. Something moves; Tiff sees it and squeals, jumping out of bed and grabbing....a book?  
  
Out of the shadowy closet, a small man with flaming red hair and amber eyes emerges. She hurls the book at him. It startles him and he stops long enough for her to throw open the window and leap out, rolling. She gets up and takes off at a run, knowing he is close at her heels. She makes it to the woods and even though she knows she shouldn't, she glances over her shoulder.  
  
He isn't there....Tiffany slows down to a walk and listens. No sounds.....Stopping she turns in a circle, looking for any trace of the killer. "I'm missing my anime for this??" she thinks. She hears a snapped twig from behind and spins around. Nothing...surely Mom and Harvey heard the commotion......or were they already dead??  
  
"Damn it, Tiff! No......they aren't dead! And neither are you! And....I wont be either. I can make it..." She thinks, but knows it probably isn't true. She stops thinking and just feels. Somehow it seems right. Feeling the woods around her, taking it all in.  
  
~He's above you,~ something whispers in her head. She looks up in time to see a small figure diving straight towards her. She shrieks and bolts out of his reach, but not quick enough to not feel his putrid breath on her neck. He's gone again. He's toying with her. She feels like one of those wretched vermin she detests so much. He is the cat having fun with his dinner.  
  
How did he get into the tree without her seeing him? And why not just attack? What kind of sicko is he? She realizes she's thinking too much so she does what she did before and just feels. How this is happening she isn't really sure, but it is. Something whispers, ~Go right~ and she obeys, dodging the amazingly fast form jetting past her. ~Left!~ it screams. Once again she obeys, but not quite in time, for his fingernails dig into her side.  
  
Curiously, there is no blood, but there is a heck of a lot of pain. The cut was so quick that ~Jump!!!~ She jumps and grabs onto the low branch, flipping herself up and over. She sees her chance and flips all the way over, kicking him from behind, knocking him flat on his face. He rolls over and grabs her ankle before she can flee. Tiff falls flat on her face and takes in a mouthful of leaves and dirt. Her side flares in pain.  
  
He jumps on top of her back, holding her down, making the gouge in her side scream. Now the blood is starting to flow. 'Such incredible strength for such a small person!' She thinks as she spits out the ground. "GET OFF!!!" she tries to scream. Her voice isn't working. He laughs maliciously and wraps his long, slim fingered hands around her neck. They scald the skin. Before he starts squeezing, he leans down to whisper in her ear.  
  
"You thought you could get away from me then too, didn't you? I will follow your souls through time until I quench both of thee!" Recognition floats into her mind, but she can't grab onto the thought. Tiffany gasps for air and tries to swat him off. Just as she thinks she's a goner, a faint but bright light starts to flood the small clearing she is in. She begins praying, stricken that she didn't think to pray in the first place.  
  
She asks for forgiveness of her sins. She knows she isn't going to survive. The light steadily but speedily brightens. The man on her back cries out and jumps off. She drinks deeply of the fresh air flooding her lungs. What just happened?? She hears the fiend hissing behind her and turns her head to the other side just as something goes whizzing above her head.  
  
"Are you ok!!!" a familiar voice asks from above her. A person crouches next to her and feels her pulse. "You are just fine....now get up and help me chase him!" Finally she realizes who is trying to stuff the sword in her hands. "Dan......Danielle?"  
  
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A/N: You guys still with us? YAY! You made it through the first chapter! Hm. So you've figured out that this isn't exactly the nice rurouni we've all came to know and love. Darn. If you watch you just might figure something out though. ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! (If it's here.....if not, go pine in your sadness. OR you COULD review!?!) 


	2. That Niggling Feeling

Chapter 2: That Niggling Feeling  
  
A/N: YAY! WOO HOO! Next chapter! As was mentioned before, this is our first ever fanfic.....But anyhow, in this chapter, you get to meet Danielle a little bit more. It kinda hangs at the end. Yeah. Just read the dang thing already! Why are you still reading??? STOP! Dah.....well, if you are going to keep reading this.....do we have to have a disclaimer in every chapter?? Just in case.....  
  
Disclaimer- We do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Though.....I guess you could say we own Danielle and Tiffany.....lol.  
  
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Danielle pulls Tiff up and Tiff just stares at her.  
"Yeah?" Danielle looks back at her.  
"Your....clothes...." Tiff looks her up and down, she is wearing fitted dark blue pants and a light blue tunic with a dark blue sash around her waist and calf high black boots. She has a sword slung over her back.  
  
"WHAT?! We don't have time for this! You'll remember everything soon enough! LET'S GO!" She takes off at breakneck speed through the woods. Tiff glances down at the sword and goes to sling it over her shoulder; this is when she realizes she is wearing similar clothing...close fitting brown pants and a green tunic with a brown sash tied about her waist and black boots.  
  
'Where did that come from??' Suddenly, memories come back in a torrent. Tiff is overwhelmed by pictures and sounds.  
  
"Danielle!!! WAIT! I'M COMING!!!!"  
  
~'Bout dang time....his trail is getting cold.~ Flows into Tiff's thoughts.  
  
"Good God Danielle....er....Danielle?" Tiffany skids to a stop, narrowly missing Danielle.  
  
"Damn.....he's gone already." Danielle mutters. Tiffany lets out a cry of frustration.  
  
"Ok, I'm very confused! CONFUSED! Do you MIND, all-knowing telepathic one, telling me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!" Danielle watches Tiffany rant with faint amusement. Tiffany finally relents the storm of insults and demands, eyes wide and wild, breathing hard and heavy from the air dispelled in ranting.  
  
"Now, IF you will stop venting long enough for me to get a word in edge-wise, I might explain a little." Danielle says.  
  
"Better be a lot more than a little. Draggin' me out in the frickin' woods in the middle of the frickin' night." Tiffany mutters.  
  
"Hush." Danielle rolls her eyes. "I didn't drag you out here...you should know that much by now. But if I recall correctly, you seem to owe me something...mainly...YOUR LIFE."  
  
Tiffany snorts indifferently. "Well, at least tell me WHO that was?" she begs.  
  
"Sure, I'll tell you....but first, let's find somewhere to sit."  
  
"Here's fine."  
  
"Dang it, you were always like this." Danielle sighs. Reaching behind her back she grabs her sword, and swings it towards Tiffany's head. Tiffany ducks...barely.  
  
"What are you trying to do?! Kill me?! I DON'T need that right now!" Tiffany begins.  
  
"I'd move if I were you." Danielle cuts in calmly.  
  
"Huh?" Tiffany glances behind her from her huddled position on the ground. The large tree behind her shifts then with a large *FWOMP* lay still inches from where Tiffany had been.  
  
"Better.....I couldn't even see where you went that time." Danielle says nonchalantly. "But...when people attack I can usually sense it!" she cries, turning quickly to face Tiffany's assault from behind.  
  
"Can't you just be normal and let me beat you for once?!" Tiffany screams in frustration.  
  
"No." Danielle replies, knocking her to the ground with the flat of her sword.  
  
"Stupid." Tiffany retorts from the ground. The sword hadn't hurt her. Danielle sighs. Offering a hand, she looks at the sprawled form of her friend. How to explain??  
  
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A/N: Hey, look at you! You made it through another chapter! All reviews are welcome. Please review.i really do not want to beg.....we could probably use the input. Maybe. But we want to know what people think of our writing. So.....review and we might be nice enough to put up some more of what we have written. ;-D 


	3. Forgotten Remembrance

Chapter 3: Forgotten Remembrance  
  
A/N: Hey! Just in case you guys get really confused, this chapter is mainly flashbacks so that Tiffany will remember what's going on. It's also to let you in on a little bit of their past. ^_^ Don't worry, we promise that Kenshin will be here. Just be patient!  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Maybe if we close our eyes and wish REEEEEEALLLY hard.*squeezes eyes closed*..._...*20 minutes later* ACK. We STILL don't own it. *sigh* And I was getting all excited. -_-  
  
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As Tiffany brushes herself off, Danielle sits astride the knocked over tree and stares into the heavens. "Um...whatcha doin?" Tiff asks sitting down a bit farther from her, just out of the reach of Danielle's sword.  
  
"Thinking how best to explain." Danielle sighs and looks at Tiffany. "What do you remember as of now?" Tiffany stares blankly and thinks.  
  
"Well...I can see a lot. But I don't really remember anything." Danielle nods and plays with a leaf she plucked off a branch. "Ok...I guess I should start at the beginning."  
  
Tiffany rolls her eyes. "That's a good place to start." Danielle shoots a glance and poises her hand ready to unsheathe her sword. "Just start the story!" Tiff cries, scooting further away. Danielle relaxes and looks back up to the stars. Memories flood into Tiff's head again, this time much more organized.  
  
**Start flashback**  
  
"MOM!!! DANIELLE IS TRYING TO KILL ME AGAIN!" A 10-year-old Tiffany screams running in from the courtyard. "I AM NOT! I WAS HELPING!" Danielle follows, sword drawn.  
  
"BY TRYING TO CUT MY HEAD OFF????"  
  
Danielle looks at her for a moment thinking. "No. By trying to get you to use your reflexes more." She sheathes her sword and crosses her arms, taking a defensive stance. Tiffany looks to her mother, who is obviously trying not to laugh. Danielle's mom rolls her eyes. "Danielle, you must be more careful." she scolds.  
  
Tiff sticks her tongue out. "Mom! I won't hurt her! I'm trying to help her get stronger! She's been slacking lately and---" She was cut off by Tiffany. "Slacking?! I had the flu! I couldn't get out of bed!"  
  
Danielle rolled her eyes. "When I had the flu I still got out of bed. You were just using it as an excuse to not practice." Tiffany's mom removed her hand from over her mouth. "Yes, but she had it much worse then you did." Danielle huffed and went back to the courtyard.  
  
"Moooommmm." Tiffany whined. "Sweetie, Danielle has nothing else to do.this is how she was brought up. She revered her father...when he died, this was the only thing she had to take her mind off of it. That's why she is so serious about it." Danielle's mom said.  
  
Tiff's mom nodded, but gave her a stern look. "She is right though. You do need to be a little more serious in your training. You two will be great someday." Tiff nodded and went to find Danielle.  
  
~About 6 years later~  
  
*End flashback*  
  
"Whoa, wait...before we have more flashbacks...you were always like this? I never won??" Danielle shushes her. "You straightened up soon enough. Just watch. You just haven't completely regained your self yet. As we were thinking,"  
  
*Start Flashback*  
  
~About 6 years later~  
  
"Come on!!! We've got to go! He's going to be here soon! We have to leave!" 16-year old Tiffany tugs Danielle's arm impatiently...and perhaps a little fearfully. Even though it was just a flashback, present-time Tiffany feels the fear.  
  
Something, or someone, bad is coming. "Hang on just a minute...we have to see him." Danielle patiently settles herself more comfortably against the tree trunk. "I don't see how you are so calm...this guy is totally wacko! We don't even know the Cracker Jack, and he's trying to kill us! HAS been for over 3 years!" Tiffany exclaims fervently, flinging her arms into the air.  
  
"And I intend to find out why. Right here, right...about...now!" Danielle jumps to her feet and unsheathes her sword gracefully. Tiffany widens her eyes at the sudden onslaught before remembering to unsheathe hers.  
  
Danielle has taken a stance that can easily be offensive OR defensive. Tiffany recognizes the stance and takes her place beside her, using the technique that counters it. With her sword drawn back beside her body, she assumes her obvious offensive stance. Many enemies have attacked under these circumstances, and few have lived.  
  
Watching her using her refined telepathic senses, Danielle slides slightly to the side and defines her stance to the more obvious offensive. With her sword parallel to the ground and tucked close to her body, her offensive is just as daunting as Tiffany's. Both girls are extremely aware of the other's movements, an asset of being together since birth. Of course, it had been planned that way. It wasn't every day that the government decides that they need new secret assassins.  
  
It also wasn't every day that the trained assassins refuse to work for the government. And it sure as heck WAS every day that the bad guys decide to kill them anyway. The girls were trained by the best, leaving their homes after defeating both teachers. Continually testing each other to ensure sharp skills, they grew in strength until their names were spoken all around the country in awe and fear.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
Present-time Tiffany watches as the enemy attacks their younger selves. "That's the guy that attacked me!" she exclaims, certain beyond a doubt that even though this attacker was different in appearance, he is the one who had attacked her in the clearing.  
  
"Right...so you are beginning to remember again...it's only a matter of time." Danielle smiles. Another life to traipse the country, protecting the innocent from the evils.perhaps they wouldn't have to go this time. "Back to the story." She says softly, and the pictures begin.  
  
*Start flashback*  
  
The attacker is skilled. He's battling both girls with one sword...and they still haven't managed to hit him yet. They are both tiring, it's obvious. If something doesn't happen soon, this death-match is as good as over.  
  
The battling continued well into the night, until finally, in desperation, Tiffany takes an extremely dangerous risk. Praying that her colleague will remember the intricacy of this risky gamble, she drops her sword and falls to her knees, simulating fatigue. Much to her luck, Danielle is more than adequately prepared for this attack.  
  
With the attacker's attention turned to the felled girl, Danielle has the opportunity to fall behind, into the shadows, and position herself for the attack. The attacker is much too engrossed with what he thinks is his "prize" to remember the other girl. He warily circles Tiffany, nudging her now and then with his sword; Tiffany responds weakly.  
  
He leans overtop her to pick her up, and as soon as Danielle hears the sword slide into the sheath, she leaps from the bushes, ambushing the attacker while Tiffany agilely dodges Danielle's thrusts. Flipping away from the attacker, Tiffany grabs her sword. But there is no need. The enemy is dead. "Are you wounded?" Tiffany asks Danielle.  
  
"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure..." Danielle sighs as they sheathe their swords and turn towards their camp. "How bout you?" "Not a scratch." Tiffany declares triumphantly. "But...sleep is good." She replies wearily. 'Please God, if you have any mercy.no more attacks tonight...' Danielle thinks to herself.  
  
As they settle into sleep, the unseen lurks. Hours later, something tweaks Danielle's nerves, slowly bringing her to the surface of wakefulness. She gropes sleepily at the force, but it evades her probing with ease. Startled, she sits up in bed. "Tiff..." she whispers, "Tiff wake up, this could be bad."  
  
"I'm already awake..." Tiff murmurs quietly. The force bursts in upon them, and both see they are in no condition to fight. "We must run..." Tiffany says softly. "The one we planned?" Danielle asks uneasily. "We must. There's no other way...GO!"  
  
And with that, the girls disappear from their time.  
  
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A/N: Woooo...pretty mysterious huh? If you're confused, don't worry, it'll clear up soon. And even if it doesn't, guess who is making a guest appearance! *beams smile* Yay! We've decided. Reviews are good. Hm. Where'd they go? Why don't you read the next chapter and find out? And if it isn't there.maybe you should look at your life. Why are you being punished? LACK OF REVIEWS MOST LIKELY. Just Kidding guys. Even though we LOVE reviews, I don't think we'd be THAT mean. 


	4. Satan

Chapter 4: Satan  
  
A/N- So, what do you think so far? Confused yet? Or just very interested? It has to be one or the other, or you probably would not still be reading.  
  
Disclaimer- Rurouni Kenshin is STILL not ours. DARN!  
  
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Tiffany stares in shock. "I remember that night..." she says in awe. "How terrified I was, to travel without a body to a different time...just a wandering soul."  
  
"As was I..." Danielle responds. "But this is not all." And the images continue.  
  
*Start flashback*  
  
"Uh-oh...Tiff....TIFF!!!" Danielle is about 12 or 13 in this image. She is wearing 70s garb and Tiffany is nowhere to be seen. She closes her eyes and tries to locate her with her powers, which she just remembered she has. There is a dark void where Tiffany's aura should be. Danielle panics and delves further. She is overcome with sensation and she screams with the overload. Out of nowhere, Tiffany returns. She carefully lifts Danielle and hurries to safety.  
  
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"Nnnggh.....what happened..." Danielle opens her eyes and tries to sit up.  
  
"Shh. You need to regain some of your strength before you can try anything." The lights are dim and only the silhouette of Tiffany can be seen.  
  
"But..." Danielle protests. "I couldn't feel you. You were...gone." Tiffany stops whatever she was doing.  
  
"I still can't figure that out. I think maybe He had something to do with it. I can smell him." Her voice is worried and angry. Danielle lays back and tries to rest. Her mind feels numb, but there is just a niggling feeling that something isn't right. She pushes it away, but it gets stronger.  
  
"Tiffany. He's back."  
  
"Damn. Hey...where did our uniforms and swords come from? They just...showed up." Tiffany points to their swords, lying close by.  
  
"We'll worry about that later. Now, we just have to worry about not getting ourselves killed." Danielle sits up and Tiffany doesn't protest this time. She knows her friend is stronger than she looks. They grab their swords and head out.  
  
Minutes after leaving Tiffany's house, they are ambushed. Tiffany's heightened senses come in handy since they are in the forest and because of Danielle's temporary handicap. Even without her abilities, Danielle valiantly strives to help her friend. Her sword skills haven't diminished: at least, not much anyway. They take their stances on opposite sides of the attacker, mirroring each other. The sword is rather far from their bodies, as opposed to the usual close tucking. This is risky, but the girls are desperate to beat this guy.  
  
They may look the same, but since his body was destroyed, he had to take on a new form. It is hard to take a man with an afro seriously. He manages, barely, to fend off the girls' attack, but they hit him with another unpredictable one immediately after, before he has time to regain himself. He is not as skilled as before. He lost something. He was defeated easily.  
  
"Something is wrong. That was too easy." Danielle says as she sheathes her sword. Tiffany stays on guard and keeps hers at hand.  
  
"Yes...it's like, it wasn't him...it was, but it wasn't ALL of him." The girls look down at the bloody form lying on the ground.  
  
"Yuck, let's get out of here." Danielle kicks the body onto its stomach and starts to walk away.  
  
"DANIELLE! WATCH OUT!!!" Danielle unsheathes her sword and barely blocks the other sword about to take off her head. Tiffany is there in an instant, taking most of the pressure away.  
  
"Well, We found the rest of his soul," Danielle grunts as she swings her sword, only to be thwarted. Once again, the battle lasts long. They know they can't use the same trick twice, so they think hard. A voice emerges into Tiffany's thoughts. ~When I say jump, jump into the tree above you stay there. Either he will follow you or stay with me. One way or the other, we need to split up enough to where he cannot fight both of us at once. You know what to do after that.~ Danielle hears Tiff's mental nod and waits till the perfect moment before yelling,  
  
~JUMP!~ Tiffany leaps into the tree. The man is taken aback and lets his guard fall for a moment. He doesn't follow, only continues to fight Danielle. Tiffany dives out of the tree, sword pointed straight down. Danielle rolls away and turns in time to see the sword plunge through the man's head and Tiffany land in a ball on the ground. He falls instantly, blood everywhere. Danielle crawls over to where her friend lies.  
  
"I think it's time." Tiffany nods.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
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"How many times have we done that??" Tiffany asks as the most recent flashback ends.  
  
"Only those two times. So far. Before this is over, it may happen again." Danielle stands up to stretch. The sun is almost completely in the sky. Tiffany groans.  
  
"Uh oh, I need to get home before mom notices I'm gone." Danielle grabs her sleeve.  
  
"You know as well as I do that you can't go back now." Tiffany looks back at Danielle.  
  
"But...what about our families. And my boyfriend! And, all our friends?!" Tiffany is on the edge of hysterics. Danielle looks at her sadly.  
  
"You knew it would happen. Somewhere deep inside, you knew this was going to come about again. That's what we get for making ourselves comfortable." Tiffany looks longingly towards her home. She draws herself up and tries to hide the pain in her eyes, even though she knows Danielle can feel it.  
  
"So. Where do we go from here?"  
  
"Well...I'm not quite sure..." Danielle grimaces uncertainly. "The only plausible thing is to track down this killer and get him before he gets us. But I'm afraid it will be a bit harder this time." Tiffany listens intently, just enough of her attention on her companion to not be considered rude. "The body he's taken this time.it belongs to a swordsman already."  
  
"I know that already! But it's a question of can the swordsman be salvaged..." Tiffany replies in her distracted voice.  
  
"I think he's still there..." Danielle says softly. "And we can't just kill him. There was something about the way his aura acted.it was.not quite willing."  
  
"We can't stay here...something is here, and whether they be my real family or not, I will not put them in danger. Come, let's go." Surprised, Danielle frees her mind, seeking the force. Whatever it is, it's either really stupid or has an amazing force field. Danielle can't penetrate the shield. But strangely, it doesn't feel malignant. This force is different.  
  
"Tiff, be alert, it seems friendly, but don't get caught off-guard." Danielle whispers as they move silently through the forest.  
  
"This thing seems oddly familiar..." Tiffany wrinkles her brow in thought. "No...it can't be..." she breaks into a huge smile. "Stop for a minute." She says, still smiling. Danielle looks at her puzzlingly, then obeys.  
  
Tiffany whistles a familiar call, and close by Danielle hears a tremendous crash in the woods. Her eyes widen and her hand is poised above her sword, but feeling and seeing Tiffany's calm, joy even, she relaxes. Then into the clearing bounds none other than Satan, their loyal black chow from their own time.  
  
"SATAN!" Danielle cries. "No wonder I couldn't feel his mind! He's a dog!!" she happily rushes to Satan, and the reunion begins. Satan had been raised with the girls, trained to protect them from...less malignant forces without the girls having to blow their cover in some cases.  
  
"I thought no one could follow us! But this is definitely a good thing, we could use a guard dog..." Tiffany's eyes dance brightly with the joy of reunion. Satan is obviously happy to see them, licking, smothering, kissing both girls until they beg for mercy. Satan knows just how much they can both take though, and is merciless in his administration of punishment for being left behind.  
  
"Satan! Stop it!" Danielle cries sternly but happily. Satan's ears prick slightly before the girls hear the voice:  
  
"What are you guys doing out here?!" Ashamed they didn't pick up on the intruder, both girls unsheathe their swords with lightning speed and whirl into position, turning to face...Tiffany's little brother?  
  
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A/N- Hehe...Yes Satan may be an...odd name for a dog...but what else could it be? And besides, lol, wouldn't it be fun if he were lost? "Excuse me, miss? Have you seen Satan?" Btw, we are still wanting reviews! THANK YOU FOR READING! ^_^ 


	5. Pulling Up Roots

Chapter 5: Pulling up Roots  
  
A/N: Wow! Battousai enter, stage left! Hahahaha, Our first REAL fight scene. Not including the one with Tiffany and Danielle fighting each other. That wasn't a REAL fight scene. This is. ^_~ YAY! Anywho, keep reading!  
  
Disclaimer: Have we said this before? We don't own Rurouni Kenshin. You don't have to rub it in. *8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8  
  
"Se-Seth! What are you doing out here?!" Tiffany stutters. Danielle flushes and turns to her. "We can't let him know!" She whispers harshly. Seth watched the two girls curiously. "I asked first," he answers stubbornly. "Why are ya'll dressed like that? And Tiff, I'm sure mom wouldn't like you playing with a sword. Where did you get it? And who's the dog?" Satan growls as Seth approaches. Seth backs off.  
  
"I, uh, we, um...Danielle??" Tiffany tries to explain but cannot come up with a valid explanation. "Seth. Go back up to the house." Danielle is staring directly into his eyes. "Uh huh..." Seth slowly turns and trudges back up to the house. "What did you just do to him?!" Tiffany watches her brother, seemingly under a spell, run into a tree before correcting his course and walking around it.  
  
"Just a little influence. He'll be fine, but he won't remember this meeting. All he will remember is waking up." Danielle smiles at Tiffany. Tiff rolls her eyes. "Show off," she mutters. "What was that?" Tiffany ducks as Danielle's sword swings precariously close to her neck. She unsheathes her own and they carry out a small test of skills. "See, I told you I didn't always win," Danielle grins as Tiffany's sword stops a mere centimeter away from her jugular. "Truce?" "Truce." This was how they decided they were done testing each other for the time being.  
  
"I think we should get out of here before Seth comes back." Danielle nods in agreement and the girls head off into the wilderness.  
  
"So...so do we have anything to eat in these packs?" Tiffany asks, rummaging through the small pack at her waist. "Well, no, but we do have a fire starter." Danielle pulls some flint out of her own. "So we have to catch our food??" Danielle raises an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Just like we always have."  
  
"Well, I was hoping for something more civilized as my last meal before eating poor helpless bunnies and such." Tiffany helps Danielle gather dry sticks for a fire. "You had supper last night. Deal with it." Danielle goes to work making a fire.  
  
Tiffany sighs and goes into the woods to catch their dinner. Satan follows her, hoping to catch some dinner of his own.  
  
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"Mmmm...." Tiffany licks her fingers. "I forgot how good rabbit was." Danielle chuckles. Out of nowhere, a low grumbling comes from Satan's throat. Tiffany's ears prick up and she sniffs at the air slightly. Danielle feels it also and tosses water on the fire.  
  
They don't need the light. Their night vision is extremely advanced. ~He's here.~ Before they know what is going on, they are yanked out of the most recent time and pulled back into the Meiji Era of Japan. "Whoa...hey, we are the same age!" Tiff exclaims. ~HE IS STILL HERE DANGIT!~ Tiffany nods and leaps into a tree. Danielle leaps into a tree near Tiff. Satan disappears into the underbrush. The girls silently watch, and wait.  
  
~He knows we've been here...but he doesn't see us yet.~ Tiff's slightly less than clear tone spoke in Danielle's mind. ~Which attack are we going to use? We can't kill the swordsman, he hasn't done anything...the other two bodies were willing.~ she replied. ~I don't know...~ came the answer. Then, silence as the small man walked into the clearing.  
  
Even in the sparse light, the girls catch the reflection of the moon on red hair set high in a long ponytail. His blue and gray clothing identify him as Japanese. The two swords at his hip clang together slightly as he inspects the remainder of the fire. "They are here." He growls, his amber eyes flashing around the perimeter. His ki sensors go nuts. But where? Where are they? Crouching, he begins to inspect the trees. Hissing slightly, Tiffany slowly moves deeper into the branches. Her curiosity to examine the foe had gotten the better of her, and knowing not if the foe had telepathic senses or not, Danielle could not caution her otherwise.  
  
Battousai's attention flicks to her tree. Sensing the movement more than actually seeing it, he attacks with a ferocity known only to his name. Swinging his sword towards the densely leaved tree, he feels the spike in the ki of his prey. He expected that. He hears the clang of a sword meeting his. He DIDN'T expect that.  
  
Taken aback in surprise, he narrows his eyes and resolves himself for the battle impending upon him. Using his second and shorter sword, he hacks at the leaves obstructing his sight. He hears the muffled cry as his sword strikes something a bit more solid than leaves. AHHHH! Tiffany's senses cry as the sword slices evenly to the bone of her left leg. 'STUPID! How COULD you let your body get in the way!' she screams at herself, struggling to maintain focus through the pain.  
  
Then, she feels Danielle's presence as the pressure of Battousai's sword is lifted from her. ~Thanks...~ she painfully thanks as she struggles to stay among the conscious. ~Just let me know where he's going...~ Danielle grunts as she lifts her sword, attempting to throw Battousai off. No such luck.  
  
Tiffany's head swims with the effort Danielle is exerting, her balance is too screwed for this. ~Short sword! From the left, watch longer sword poised for the opening you'll leave!~ Tiffany instructs, watching the fight with her superb nocturnal vision. ~WATCH HIS SWORD! HE'S USING BATTOU- JITSU!~ Tiffany cries frantically, her control over her mind wavering.  
  
Danielle feels this. 'It's only a matter of time before she passes out...' Danielle thinks. 'I feel how weak she is...and she's still losing blood!' Multi-tasking would be a major understatement for her as she attempts to lighten Tiff's pain by absorbing some of it herself. The pain makes the fight more tangible anyhow.  
  
Dancing through the trees the two fighters weave the elaborate ballet. Both fighters tire quickly from the endless slash-defend routine being exhibited. 'Stay focused Danielle...' Danielle growls to herself as she feels her mind wandering. Then inspiration hits her. She flies into her foe, and all out offensive that leaves even him, the great Battousai, staggering.  
  
Striking at him using not only her sword, but also her mind, she feels him weakening. Soon he'll break. Then...no Battousai. He's disappeared again. The girls are safe...for now.  
  
"Tiff!" Danielle cries, rushing back to her wounded companion. "I...is it over?" Tiff asks weakly, her eyes wild. "Yes, it's over...now rest."  
  
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A/N: Oh no! An injury! AHHHH! *Runs in circles waving arms above head* Heh. Will Tiffany prevail over her injury?! Will Danielle be able to save her?! Find out next chapter!! Ok, enough cheesy TV announcing. Lol, seriously though, why don't you go find out what happens? WHAT?! NO!? Oh...heh the chapter isn't there? Oooooops. Here ya go! *works on next chapter* 


	6. Separation

Chapter 6: Separation  
  
A/N- CHAPTER 6! DUDE! Lol...we are amused. The last chapter was called Pulling Up Roots...and in this one, tiffany pulls roots...lol. alright, read this chapter already so you can review and we can post chapter 7.  
  
Disclaimer-*sigh* Do we have to keep saying this??? NO! WE DO NOT OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN! GEEZ!  
  
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Tiffany groans as she tries to open her eyes. The light is too bright.  
  
"Stupid sun..." she mutters and shields her eyes with her hand. She looks down at her leg, nicely bandaged. Her pants were ripped off up to the knee, obviously so Danielle could clean and dress it. The bandages and medicines were carefully packed up and Danielle was soundly sleeping.  
  
'It's my fault she is so wore out...if only I were there to help her.'  
  
A voice in the back of her head, her own voice says,  
  
'You WERE there stupid, but you went and got yourself wounded.' Tiff looks at her sleeping friend and hopes she will not be too much of a hindrance. Her wound is no longer as painful as it was before, and she can feel the muscles and nerves healing themselves quicker than a normal human's would. She sighs and stands up, trying to walk on it. She clenches her teeth as pain shoots up her leg and does her best not to scream.  
  
"You better not do that. You want it to heal don't you?" Tiff looks down at Danielle, who is now sitting up, fully awake, yet her body is tired. "I hope he's in as bad a shape as we are..." Tiffany pulls some of the roots that were gathered last night closer to her and munches on a particularly juicy one. Danielle shakes her head.  
  
"I highly doubt it. I didn't hit him once, and his mind was much stronger than my own, even though he doesn't necessarily use it the same way." She reaches over to grab a root.  
  
"What are these?!" she cries, spitting it out. "I dunno, but I knew they weren't deadly," Tiff answers, biting another chunk out of one. Danielle wrinkles her nose and puts her root down.  
  
"I think I'll pass..." She goes off into the woods to find something that tastes good.  
  
"Danielle. We have been walking for hours! Night is coming soon and I'm tired and hungry and my leg hurts!!!" Tiffany whines.  
  
"Oh shut up. You are fine. Do you want to stay so close to the last camp where he can find us?" Danielle keeps walking.  
  
"Close??? We are miles away! Can't we just put up a ward so he can't find us?"  
  
"He will see right through it. Whether he actually sees it or not..." Tiffany growls something indiscernible at Danielle, who hears it anyway, and glares at Tiffany. She sticks her tongue out at her and keeps walking. Satan bounds happily through the woods, disappearing every once in a while before joining the girls again. Tiffany and Danielle both stop at the same time, completely still.  
  
~Not again!!!~ Tiffany thinks to Danielle.  
  
~Damn...I hope we can hide from him this time...~ Tiffany gulps and, injured leg or no, jumps into the tree above her. She gets as close to the trunk as possible and sits stock still. Danielle does the same, in the tree across from her. Satan whines and they hear him run into the woods.  
  
~Chicken...~ Tiff thinks.  
  
~Shhhh...he is almost here.~ Only Tiffany can truly hear him. She listens intently, pushing everything else out of her mind. Danielle cant hear him, but can feel him at the base of the tree she is in. The slow, definite sound of a sword carefully being drawn from its sheathe is nerve racking in the quiet forest.  
  
'What is he up too...' Danielle doesn't move but probes gently at his mind, finding his plan.  
  
~TIFFANY! HE KNOWS WE ARE HERE! RUN!~ Danielle screams at her, just as the sword slices through the trunk of the tree. Danielle's ankle is stuck between two branches and she screams out loud, no longer able to hold her composure.  
  
~Danielle! I'm not leaving you!~  
  
~Tiff! Get out of here! He won't kill me yet...he has plans, but he needs both of us! Don't let him have you RUN!~ She feels Tiff's mind uncertainly deciding, and realizes Danielle is right. They were taught not to let feelings get in the way. No matter how much it hurt, Tiffany jumps tree to tree, as far away as she can take herself.  
  
The Battousai reaches into the leaves and jerks Danielle out, breaking her ankle in the process. She bites her lip so as not to scream and looks him in the eyes. There is something sad in them. The swordsman wants out, he knows what is going on, he can see it through his own eyes but has no power to stop it. Danielle can hear the minds at war; one screaming to stop, the other laughing.  
  
"So, you can't stay in one time long enough can you? You keep running from me. Well, you can run, but there is no way you can ever hide. Tomorrow, you and your friend get it." He tosses her down in the dirt and ties her hands behind her back. He leans down to whisper in her ear,  
  
"And don't think of running. You can probably get out of these ropes, but I will hear you and kill you before you escape. Tomorrow will be a glorious day. You get to watch each other die." Danielle turns her head to cry.  
  
Later, as they sit by the fire, she refuses his food.  
  
"It's not poisoned. That would defeat the whole purpose of killing the two of you together." Danielle still shakes her head.  
  
"Fine then. You won't eat. So, talk to me. I rather think I like this body. I may keep it. The soul is that of a fighter. A great swordsman who cares about people. Baka. His memories are sappy. Full of sadness and love. I have been in this body for a long time now. I have made him known for his sword skills. And yes, they are his own. I let him out just enough to use them. People fear his name. It's wonderful!!!" Danielle says nothing and only stares into the fire. "You know, it will be a shame to kill the two of you. You are so good at what you do." he sighs. "Just, not good enough. If only you were born a little before all this, you could have been greater. We could be a team. Killing people just for the fun of it...doesn't that sound nice?" he was baiting her. She isn't exactly sure what he was trying to get her to say, but she will not say it. She refuses to even look into his eyes. Battousai just laughs. "Clever. You aren't communicating with your little friend are you?" Danielle shakes her head. "Good. I wouldn't want the two of making any plans behind my back...or, mind. Whatever. Goodnight, young swordswoman." The Battousai lay down and fell into sleep.  
  
~Danielle?~ a faint but rather clear voice pushes into her mind.  
  
~Be careful. He's listening.~ she answers. Laughing can be heard in their connection.  
  
~I just wanted to make sure you were alive...~ Tiffany says. Danielle smiles.  
  
~Yes...I am alive. He won't kill me until he has the two of us together. That's why you have to stay away. I will be able to contact you enough to tell you how close we are.~  
  
~Oh you are a spoilsport!~ Comes a strong male voice.  
  
~Tiff! Radio-silence!~ Danielle demands impatiently when the voice invades their sanctuary. Feeling Tiffany's reluctance to do so, Danielle breaks the connection. The resulting headache threatens to claim her senses, but Danielle knows better. She fights against the pain, instead of whimpering, sending Battousai a withering glance. He is sitting against a tree across from her, sword leaning against his shoulder, studying her with those piercing amber eyes.  
  
'How are we going to get close enough to free the swordsman?' Danielle wonders. Battousai is so very alert...it would be near impossible. Unless they could appeal to the real swordsman on the inside. Somehow they had to bring him out, make him stronger. 'But we can't do that...he has to do that himself.' Danielle's mind sings piteously.  
  
Tiffany wails into the black darkness of the night. Once again, finding her counterpart, only to be separated in less than a day! Anger overtook her common sense, the howling rage blinding her. How could she have been so stupid! Twice even! Grinding her teeth, Tiffany set out to find this legendary Battousai. Impervious now to her near healed leg, she sent her extraordinary speed to the limit, flashing through the treetops so fast that only afterimages were visible.  
  
Danielle awoke some time after dawn to find Battousai gone. Panicking immediately, she cast out for Tiffany's mind, only to find it barricaded.  
  
~DAMN YOU TIFFANY!~ she cried.  
  
~Temper, temper...~ the male voice teased.  
  
~YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!~ she raged, finally unable to keep herself from lashing out.  
  
~Well, someone certainly woke up on the wrong side of the tree.~ Battousai chuckled in his mind. Danielle snorted in disgust at the poor joke, before closing her mind. Battousai however, broke the barrier easily.  
  
~I want you to know, I'm closing in on your little friend. Soon you will be reunited, so no worries.~ Danielle's eyes snapped open, the bright sunlight beaming into them.  
  
'He IS gone...and that means now is the perfect time to escape...' Danielle thought to herself. Testing her ankle, which is still mangled, but not quite as badly as yesterday, she stands and simply shrugs the ropes away. The quietly smooth sound of a drawn sword stops her dead in her tracks.  
  
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A/N- Are we evil or what?! Do you wanna know what happens next? Do ya? Do ya??? THEN READ MORE! And if we dont have it up yet, too bad. You will just have to ask us nicely in a REVIEW! O.O 


	7. Sessha

Chapter 7: Sessha  
  
A/N: Well...quite a cliffhanger we left you with now wasn't it. And I bet you're DYING to know what happens. Maybe. Hopefully. Hm...now what could the title mean??  
  
Disclaimer: We. Do. Not. Own. Rurouni. Kenshin. Can someone please tell me why this is?  
  
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"Going somewhere?" Battousai sneers, licking his sword. Danielle turns to look at him. She almost faints when she sees him holding an unconscious Tiffany by her short-cropped hair. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" Danielle screams drawing her sword and taking an offensive stance. The Battousai snickers and takes an equally offensive stance, dropping Tiffany into the dirt and leaves.  
  
"Damn it..." Danielle growls. "She wouldn't come like I asked her. And her sword is now scrap." He reaches behind him and withdraws the two pieces of sword and tosses them next to Tiffany. Danielle's eyes widen. She feels for Tiffany's mind, but something is wrong with her. She isn't dead yet, but she is very close to it.  
  
"Why don't you put away your sword and we will talk about this. Besides, I want you two to see each others pain when you die at my sword." "NO!" Danielle screams, attacking. He gracefully steps out of the way and looks surprised when she swings around and blocks his attack. They fight on into the night, seemingly never tiring. Tiffany is oblivious to all. Finally, The Battousai gets a hit, but only with the flat of his sword. Danielle is knocked off balance and her sword falls from her hand, sliding out of her reach. She rolls over onto her back, gasping for air and disregarding the blood streaming down her face. She would surely be dead if he had made direct contact with the blade. He did it on purpose, and she hates the fact that he is stronger and holds her life in his hand.  
  
He straddles her body and wraps his fingers around her neck. "Now, be a good girl and do what I say. Do you promise?" Danielle says nothing. "PROMISE ME DAMNIT!" Danielle pulls at his hands as he strangles her. Before she knows what's going on, he is off of her and on the other side of the fire. Her neck and lungs burn. She sits up and crawls over to her sword, sheathing it before crawling to Tiffany. She cradles her friend's head in her lap and does her best to bring Tiffany's mind out of wherever it is. Battousai watches this scene with interest.  
  
'How can two people care for each other so much?' he asks the owner of the body. 'Someone like you wouldn't understand,' it spat. 'Are you still mad about the whole, possessing your body thing?' The owner didn't answer, but his thoughts were full of hatred. 'Is that a yes?' the possessor teased. The owner of the body shrank down a bit, so he could think to himself. Not that he was ever really by himself. The possessor could easily invade those thoughts, too, but chose to give the owner some privacy. He looked back over at the two girls. The one he had fought was leaning against a tree sleeping, still holding her friend.  
  
'I could kill them both while they sleep, yet they remain peacefully sleeping. How odd their senses are.' The possessor thinks, his thoughts bridging towards the owner's own. 'I don't believe you could.' The owner thinks back. 'There's something inside you, no matter how cold you seem on the outside, no matter how bad you talk, it will always be there, that it will.'  
  
'Psh, what do you know. If you knew all this then why am I the one in control. And to prove a point, suppose I go kill them both right now?' Battousai stands and quietly unsheathes his sword. Walking as stealthily as if the girls didn't already know he was there, the hitokiri poises his sword at Tiffany's throat. With a flash of angry brown eyes and the swish of an unsheathed sword, his intended deathblow is ricocheted away.  
  
"Stay away from us." Danielle growls. Battousai rolls his amber eyes, and Danielle thinks that perhaps they look a bit friendlier. 'It's working! We're drawing him out!' she thinks excitedly to herself. ~'Bout time...I don't think I can take much more...~ comes a faint voice. ~Tiff?! ~ Danielle stares incredulously.  
  
A much softer, kinder voice flows into her thoughts, timid in approach, polite in acceptance, ~I've been trying to help her that I have, but I'm not sure if it's been working that I'm not.~  
  
Surprised at this gentle voice, Danielle reaches for the owner, only to find the mind threading back to Battousai. ~Are you the swordsman inside the body?~ she questions quietly, glaring at Battousai again. ~That indeed I am, but sessha would much rather you call him Kenshin.~  
  
Fluent in many languages, including Japanese, Danielle's curiosity piques. ~Unworthy? Why would you call yourself that? You're anything but unworthy if that piece of junk took over your body...~  
  
~Sessha is unworthy because he allowed this in the first place, if he had been more alert, perhaps he could have protected you ladies from such harm!~ Kenshin cried in anguish. ~Now, now, you did all you could. He's not exactly weak ya know.~ Danielle comforted. ~And, there's a way you could break away from him.~  
  
The Battousai snarls and cuts off the owners mind. The girls feel the swordsman shrink back in pain. "What did you do that for?" Danielle roars. "I think I like this body. I want to keep it and I don't want the two of you ruining it. Wonderful...you are both awake." Tiffany has finally opened her eyes.  
  
"So, how do you want to die?" Battousai draws his sword and slowly traces the blade with his tongue. Tiffany does her best to sit up and looks at the swordsman. "Why are you doing this?" she asks.  
  
"What? Because of all the pain you caused me, of course," he answers. "Well, it's just that, we've been chasing each other through time and we don't actually know why you hate us so much..." Danielle looks at her friend and realizes she is right. The Battousai glares at her. "You actually mean to tell me you don't remember?"  
  
The girls look at each other. Neither remembers, and this also keeps them alive a bit longer. It also may give the swordsman an opening to force his way out. "No..." they answer in unison. The Battousai studies them and decides they are telling the truth.  
  
After studying the girls for near 10 minutes, Battousai snorts and turns his head. "I would have thought you would at least remembered." He turns back to face them, his feral gaze icy cold and near inhuman. Tiffany shivers slightly, and feels Danielle's similar reaction. After another ten minutes of frigid scrutiny, Battousai looks off into the woods and begins.  
  
"It all started long ago, possibly before you two were born. I wasn't always this cold-blooded killer with no heart. I had a family! I was loved, and I loved too. My wife, she...she was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her hair was long and very silky. She took exceptional care that it stayed that way, but don't get the wrong idea! She wasn't conceited. She was...perfect. Always more concerned about other people than herself." Battousai's drawl is changing, ever so slightly. The girls notice the change, but attribute it to the fact that he was remembering what were so obviously painful memories.  
  
"She...she was the light of my life, that she was..." Battousai chokes. He didn't seem to notice that his speech was altering, becoming softer. Danielle sought the swordsman's eyes, stunningly they seem to be changing colors. Instead of the solid amber honey color, now the amber irises are tinted with violet. Prompting a little, Tiffany asks, "What happened to her?"  
  
Perhaps Battousai doesn't like being rushed, or maybe it was because he subconsciously knew the swordsman was taking over. "What do you think happened to her?! We had a fight, a big one at that. She ran from me, hurt in her eyes and pain in her heart, needing time alone. I let her be, knowing if I followed it would only hurt her more. After two days she still hadn't come back, and I grew worried. I ran out into the woods, my common sense misplaced by my urgent need to find her. For three days I searched, THREE MISERABLE DAYS before I found her again. She'd been slaughtered. Cut down in such a prime, her beautiful body ripped to shreds."  
  
Danielle thinks hard, seeking to remember. With a gasp, she did. The young woman had been a spy for the others, and young as the girls were at their young age of 6, they were still under the influence of the government. They hadn't refused to work for the government until the government had made the public announcement that they were.  
  
Then, appearing to satisfy the public's taste for gossip, they also instilled a deep fear in the people. No one dared oppose the government. But then the girls had refuted them, there in front of the entire city, and for that they were never forgiven. The young woman had been their last assignment. They had slaughtered her mercilessly, knowing the outcome immediately.  
  
Battousai had spoken so lovingly, so softly, that it was hard for the girls to not feel sorry for him. That gaze most often tinted with anger was heavy with sadness, his face lined with pain. If they could somehow let the swordsman know that now was the best time to strike!  
  
Apparently they didn't have to. The Battousai cries out in anguish and pain as the swordsman pulls his way to the top. The struggle goes on for a long time, the two girls watching in amazement. The body is writhing on the ground, clutching its head. They have no idea who is winning, for the thoughts are too muddled for either of the girls to make anything out.  
  
Tiffany looks at Danielle and says, "I remember everything now...it's horrible...but, we had to do it, ne?" Danielle nods. "I can't help but feel sorry for him though. But he needs to move on and forget revenge. It's exhausting me!" Tiffany chuckles and realizes she can't feel the weight of her sword on her back. She sees it lying in two pieces and almost breaks down crying.  
  
"Don't worry...we'll fix it somehow. Or we can just get another one..." Danielle tries to comfort her but she won't listen. "A NEW one??? I want this one!! Just my damn luck!" Danielle understands. She doesn't know what she would do if she lost her sword. The girls have had the same ones since they had defeated their masters.  
  
As Tiffany mourns her lost sword, Danielle notices that the struggle between the Battousai and the swordsman is coming to an end. As she watches, the body stands up and punches itself in the forehead. He opens his violet eyes and smiles. "I think I have won, that I do..."  
  
At the sound of the kind, gentle voice, Tiffany immediately turns from her mourning. Gasping in awe and delight at the sight of the purple eyes, she crawls closer on her knees to investigate. Curiosity stares Danielle in the face as she struggles to keep herself from doing the same. Finally, not being able to resist anymore, she succumbs to weakness. Both girls crowd around the bewildered Kenshin, staring at his eyes and running fingers through his hair.  
  
"We like your hair!" both girls exclaim in unison. "Orororoooooo..." Kenshin falls to the ground, swirly-eyed. "Oh come on, stop with the swirlies and let us see your eyes again!" Tiffany protests, hands on her hips. "Come on Tiff, back off, we've overwhelmed the poor guy." Danielle giggles as Kenshin blinks before staring at them with a little bit of fright in his eyes.  
  
Tiffany frowns at the ground she's sitting on, her eyes slowly drifting back to her sword. Tears well up and threaten to spill over as she remembers that its only useless scrap metal now. The Battousai mangled it pretty well obviously. "Oh, by the way Mister, you never exactly told us your name..." Tiffany says, voice shaky.  
  
"Sessha is Kenshin. Himura Kenshin." Kenshin replies, his eyes replacing most of his fear with friendliness. "Well hello Kenshin, I'm Tiffany, and this is Danielle." She explains. Anything to get her mind off her sword. Finally, the silence is just too much and Tiffany breaks down.  
  
Crying she runs off into the woods, at the edge of the clearing leaping into the trees. "Tiff!" Danielle stands to follow her, but tentatively feeling her friends mind tells her that Tiffany doesn't want to be followed right now. Perhaps instead she should find something for them all to eat. Wincing slightly against the pain of her not-quite-healed ankle, she does just that.  
  
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A/N: SESSHA! YAY KENSHIN! KENSHIN KENSHINKENSHIN KENSHIN! o.Ox;; Lol, I have too much fun. 


	8. Familiar

Chapter 8: Familiar  
  
A/N- YAY! Kenshin has won! Temporarily anyway.  
  
Disclaimer- We do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters, blah blah blah. Fine then. Since we never will own kenshin, we have made plenty of our own characters up! SO THERE! AND THEY ARE OURS! NOT YOURS! MWAHAHAHAHA! *scoops up little figurines of all the characters they have ever come up with and greedily hugs them to self* NO TOUCHY!  
  
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"That was very tasty, Danielle-dono. But, sessha cannot eat much more." Kenshin raises his hands when she offers more.  
  
"Well, thank you. I do wish you would stop calling yourself that though." Kenshin just shakes his head.  
  
"You are worried about Tiffany-dono. Sessha thinks that she will be fine, de gozaru. She will come back when she is ready." Danielle is staring off into the woods in the direction Tiff went off in.  
  
"So, is he still in there?" She asks him looking into his eyes.  
  
"Yes, and sessha thinks it would be a good idea if it would stay that way. At least this way, he cannot hurt anymore people."  
  
"But...what if he tries to take over again?"  
  
Kenshin nods and his face turns serious. "Sessha is willing to take that chance. The hitokiri is deep in sessha's subconscious. Sessha cannot even hear his thoughts, but his presence is there." There conversation is interrupted by Tiffany stepping back into the clearing.  
  
"You guys...I can't find Satan!!! I called and whistled and everything, but he won't come!!" Kenshin's eyes widen.  
  
"Did you just say Satan??" Tiffany nods.  
  
"Oro??"  
  
"Now what?!" Tiffany walks over to Kenshin and grabs his hair, pulling him off his back.  
  
"It's just...Satan??" Danielle realizes that Kenshin never met their dog and giggles erupt from her.  
  
"I missed something?" Tiffany looks at the confused Kenshin and the laughing Danielle.  
  
"No! Its just, heh, he doesn't know that our dog is named Satan!!" Danielle pauses long enough to say this before cracking up again. Kenshin looks up at the girl still holding a handful of his hair.  
  
"Excuse me, Tiffany-dono, but that hurts a little..." Tiff blushes and lets go.  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
"That is alright, de gozaru, but why name your dog Satan?"  
  
Tiffany grins at Danielle.  
  
"Just a little joke...I'm sure you know what it's like to train out of your wits without having any fun. So we named our dog Satan. Just to see people's expressions...like yours...perfectly priceless!" Giggling madly Tiffany sits on the ground next to the fire.  
  
"Sessha does know what it's like to train very hard, but sessha never remembers being bored. Sessha would like to know, de gozaru, how you managed to be bored." Tiffany rolls her eyes and lays back on the ground, blowing the question off. Danielle sighs at Tiffany's avoidance before turning back to Kenshin.  
  
"Well, it's hard to explain. We were practically BRED for the government's use. So, when we were able to walk, we walked with a sword. When we argued, we argued with a sword. Our swords are practically a part of us. This is why Tiffany's so upset." Danielle leans forward, whispering to Kenshin as it looked like Tiffany was sleeping. "We left our home after we defeated our shishous at 15. We could have beaten them when we were 8. Needless to say we were a little bit bored in the meantime." She looks up from the fire to see Kenshin's humongous violet eyes full of hurt and pity.  
  
"You never knew anything but fighting, is that right?" He says softly.  
  
"Yes." Danielle turns away. She doesn't want to see the pity in his eyes. After a few minutes Danielle feels a presence.  
  
"Oh no..." She whispers. "Tiff doesn't have her sword, and something is coming!" Kenshin's eyes narrow. Danielle starts to say something to him, but that look tells her otherwise. SHE isn't talking to him when he was like that.  
  
"Tiffany-dono will have a sword." He growls.  
  
~Dono? Where'd he get that?~ Danielle feels Tiffany rolling her eyes.  
  
~I'll bet you were awake the WHOLE time.~ Danielle accuses.  
  
~Well YEAH. Naturally.~ Tiffany sighs. ~I can't sleep knowing that I am basically helpless.~ Tiffany wrinkles her brow.  
  
~Oh and I suppose your martial arts are crap?~ Danielle quirks her eyebrow.  
  
~Ahhaha...~ Tiffany smiles sheepishly, raising up.  
  
"Tiff, I can't feel it...it isn't Satan, it isn't gentle enough. The feel of its mind is coarse. But it does feel almost animal..." The girls stand next to each other, Danielle ready to draw her sword and Tiffany pulls out small throwing daggers, the size of her pinky.  
  
"And where did you get those may I ask??" Danielle asks studying Tiffany's stance and the new weapons.  
  
"I dunno. Found them in my pack." Her head gestures to the pouch at her side.  
  
"Ya know how to use 'em??"  
  
"Yup...now shush, its getting closer." Tiffany wrinkles her nose. "And it smells..." The girls were to caught up in the moment that they didn't notice Kenshin, watching them with awe and amusement. Just as the girls were getting ready to attack, it fled.  
  
"Uh..." Tiffany drops her stance and puts the daggers away.  
  
"Well. That was rude." Danielle feels for it and cant find anything.  
  
"Um...maybe it was an animal...a big stinky one and it saw us or something and ran away," Tiff offers. Kenshin laughs. Tiffany and Danielle turn towards the welcome sound.  
  
"It is nice to know you can smile like that," Tiffany says, going for the leftovers on the rock. Kenshin's look of amusement turns to puzzlement.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Tiffany shrugs and doesn't explain. Danielle sighs.  
  
"I think what she means, is that though we have seen you smile, it has been more of a forced smile. That just now was true and happy." Danielle takes her place under a tree and leans back for a good night's rest. Kenshin watches the girls; one eating, the other sleeping. He does not understand these two girls one bit. He does not want to feel pity for them, for pity is not something people want from others. But their childhood is something he would not wish on anyone. As Tiffany finishes her supper, she lays down and is quickly overtaken by sleep. Kenshin cannot and will not sleep tonight.  
  
The presence that they felt earlier hurtles through the woods at a breakneck speed. "Smelly...FEH! I'll show them smelly..."  
  
***  
  
Tiffany awakes suddenly and abruptly, her hand going for her sword that isn't there. Then she observes her surroundings. What could have shaken her from her blissful slumber?  
  
'Just as my dream was getting good.' She grumps to herself. Still lying on the ground, she blinks up at the sky. 'Must be early morning...around 4 or so.' Sighing she pulls her arms behind her head and stares up at the diminishing stars. After about an hour of trying to fall back into sleep, maybe even finishing the dream she'd started, she knows it's pointless.  
  
'Everything's pointless.' She sighs again. 'Wanna go talk about it?' Giggling she sits up, only to find herself face to face with the amber eyes of the hitokiri. Stifling the gasp that threatened to escape her, she glares back at him, determined not to let him intimidate her.  
  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" she growls. Blinking in puzzlement, the amber eyes quickly recede back to violet. Tiffany heaves an internal sigh of relief.  
  
"Tiffany-dono!" Kenshin cries. "I thought you were something else."  
  
"Uh...ok? Why would you think that?" Tiff asks, puzzled also now.  
  
"I must have dozed for a minute, and then when I woke, you weren't there! And then I heard something...here." Kenshin gestures to their surroundings.  
  
'Ah, so at least I know what was bothering me now.' Tiffany thinks, observing the riverbank she had somehow gotten to.  
  
"I must be sleepwalking again." She says, rolling her eyes for Kenshin's benefit. 'He doesn't need to know how serious this is.' She thinks, keeping her smile warm. "I'll be back to camp in a minute. I'm just going to sit here and think for a while, ok?" she turns away from Kenshin and sits on a patch of moss by the river.  
  
"All right Tiffany-dono." Kenshin replies. Slowly he makes his way back to the camp. For a long time, Tiffany sits staring at the water. The even, smooth motion soothes and comforts her. The dim light from the crescent moon softens the sharper edges of the woods, forcing everything to look beautiful.  
  
'Why?' Tiffany thinks. 'Why am I sleepwalking again?' Knowing that if Danielle had been awake, she would be forcing her to open her mind for a nice clean sweeping. 'Uh, no.' Tiffany thinks. 'I'll figure this out by myself, no one needs to know. It would only put them on edge!'  
  
~Like all the things you're thinking didn't?~  
  
'Ack.' Tiffany thinks. 'She just had to wake up didn't she.'  
  
~Yes I usually do wake when you go off on your sleepwalking escapades.~ Danielle replies.  
  
~Its nothing. I'm sure it'll be gone by tomorrow.~ Tiffany trails off at the end, barely able to spit the lie out to her friend.  
  
~Liar.~ Danielle accuses softly. Tiffany jumps when the hand finds her shoulder.  
  
"See look how jumpy you are." Danielle takes her hand off Tiff's shoulder and sits beside her on the riverbank.  
  
"What are you seeing this time?" she asks.  
  
"I don't see nothing." Tiffany replies indifferently.  
  
"Oh come on Tiff! I've been with you long enough to know that when you sleepwalk, it means you've seen something!" Tiffany picks at the moss.  
  
"You can't prove it." She finally retorts. Rolling her eyes Danielle quirks her eyebrows at Tiffany.  
  
"That bad huh?"  
  
'Uh oh...' Danielle thinks, feeling Tiffany's anger sky-rocket.  
  
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM THAT I'VE FRICKIN' SAW THE FUTURE AGAIN!!!!" Tiffany leaps into the nearby trees.  
  
"Tiff!" Danielle cries. 'Geez, I'll never get past this block. It's pure anger.' Danielle thinks, feeling the barricade in Tiff's mind.  
  
When Kenshin returned to the campsite he notices Danielle isn't there either.  
  
'Sessha hopes she doesn't sleepwalk too...' he thinks. Snickering rises in his mind.  
  
'See how close I was to getting out? Why don't you just give up and let me have this body! I know how to use it right...' The Battousai boasts.  
  
'Sessha thinks not.' The gentle voice had turned cold.  
  
'Your anger is taking over. I thrive in anger...' Kenshin shakes his head vigorously and heads towards the river. A different part then Tiff was at. When he gets there, he bathes. Danielle is walking up the river bank thinking.  
  
'It has to be really bad to have her this upset. I wonder what it could be...'  
  
"DAMN! Why does she have to be so stubborn! What the hell could it be!" She screams in anger.  
  
"Orooo???" Kenshin turns quickly and ducks up to his neck.  
  
"OH MY GOSH!!! I DIDN'T SEE YOU! I AM SOO SORRY!!!" Danielle turns so he can get out of the water and dress. As they walk back to camp, they discuss Tiffany.  
  
"I am very worried. The last time something like this happened, it was right before we skipped times. A time before was when our mothers were raped and murdered, and before that it was my father's death. Nothing good ever comes from these," Danielle explains. Kenshin listens thoughtfully.  
  
"Tiffany dono said it was nothing. Sessha thinks she must not have wanted him to worry..."  
  
"I guess the only thing we can do is sit and wait for her to come back. She always does."  
  
***  
  
"Who---Who's there?? Show yourself!" Tiffany was too caught up in thinking that she didn't smell the animal again until he was very close. He is standing right around here, probably watching her. The smell is familiar...and not because she had smelled it earlier. There is something else...  
  
"Damnit! I know someone is there!" Tiffany sniffs the air and listens carefully. He is in a tree to the right of her. His scent is wafting to her in the wind, and she can hear the tree creak with the extra weight. She pulls out the daggers, ready to throw. She hears the tree rustle as he comes closer to her. She squints trying to see him, but the canopy is too thick. Tiffany jumps down lightly to the ground. Maybe she can get a better view from here. She barely catches a glimpse of the bare foot as it flees. She runs after it, she on the ground, he in the trees. Without warning, he jumps down in front of her.  
  
Tiffany's eyes widen and she is unable to contain the gasp that rises from her lungs. Suddenly the entire thing washes back. The vision in it's menacing clarity knocks down all the barriers she's unconsciously erected. She sees the vision again.  
  
* Tiffany runs into the clearing, then he jumps down in front of her. She skitters to a stop and the soft sound of a gasp is audible. Her knees start to weaken. Then she straightens, her resolve strengthened by slamming up the barriers in her mind, but not soon enough. The damage is done. *  
  
Knowing what is going to happen does nothing to actually stop it from happening. Tiffany slams up her barriers as soon as the vision recedes, but it's too late. The familiar face has gotten a hold in her mind. Tiffany spirals down into the darkness, oblivious to his odd laughter.  
  
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A/N- Ooohhh....Who might this be? I bet you really want to know what is going to happen to Tiff...and who this strange new character is...so, oh darn...i guess you will just have to review. ^_~ (it's winking, btw...) 


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